[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 9 (Thursday, January 14, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2500-2501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-877]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of a currently approved information 
collection (OMB Control Number 1010-0068).

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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and 
respondent burden, MMS invites the public and other Federal agencies to 
comment on a proposal to extend the currently approved collection of 
information discussed below. The Paperwork

[[Page 2501]]

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) provides that an agency may not conduct or 
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) control number.

DATE: Submit written comments by March 15, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand carry comments to the Department of the 
Interior; Minerals Management Service; attention: Rules Processing 
Team; Mail Stop 4024; 381 Elden Street; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis London, Rules Processing Team, 
telephone (703) 787-1600. You may also contact Alexis London to obtain 
a copy of the collection of information at no cost.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart M, Unitization (1010-0068).
    Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 
1331 et seq., gives the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) the 
responsibility to preserve, protect, and develop oil and gas resources 
in the OCS consistent with the need to make such resources available to 
meet the Nation's energy needs as rapidly as possible; balance orderly 
energy resource development with protection of human, marine, and 
coastal environments; ensure the public a fair and equitable return on 
the resources of the OCS; and preserve and maintain free enterprise 
competition. 43 U.S.C. 1334(a) specifies that the Secretary will 
establish rules and regulations to provide for the ``prevention of 
waste and conservation of the natural resources of the outer 
Continental Shelf, and the protection of correlative rights therein'' 
and include provisions ``for unitization, pooling, and drilling 
agreements.'' We have established these regulations at 30 CFR part 250, 
subpart M, ``Unitization.''
    The MMS OCS Regions use the information required by 30 CFR part 
250, subpart M, to determine whether to approve a proposal to enter 
into an agreement to unitize operations under two or more leases or to 
approve modifications when circumstances change. The information is 
necessary to ensure that operations will result in preventing waste, 
conserving natural resources, and protecting correlative rights, 
including the Government's interests. We also use information submitted 
to determine competitiveness of a reservoir or to decide that 
compelling unitization will achieve these results.
    The MMS will protect proprietary information submitted with the 
plans according to the Freedom of Information Act; 30 CFR 250.118, 
``Data and information to be made available to the public'; and 30 CFR 
part 252, ``OCS Oil and Gas Information Program.'' No items of a 
sensitive nature are collected. Responses are required to obtain or 
retain a benefit.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 
Federal OCS sulphur or oil and gas lessees.
    Frequency: The frequency of reporting is on occasion and varies by 
subpart M regulatory section.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
currently approved hour burden for this collection is 2,424 hours. The 
estimated average annual burden per respondent is approximately 19 
hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Cost'' Burden: We 
have identified no information collection cost burdens for this 
collection of information.
    Comments: We will summarize written responses to this notice and 
address them in our submission for OMB approval. All comments will 
become a matter of public record. As a result of your comments and our 
consultations with a representative sample of respondents, we will make 
any necessary adjustments to the burden in our submission to OMB. In 
calculating the burden, we assumed that respondents perform many of the 
requirements and maintain records in the normal course of their 
activities. We consider these to be usual and customary and took that 
into account in estimating the burden.
    (1) We specifically solicit your comments on the following 
questions:
    (a) Is the proposed collection of information necessary for us to 
properly perform our functions, and will it be useful?
    (b) Are the estimates of the burden hours of the proposed 
collection reasonable?
    (c) Do you have any suggestions that would enhance the quality, 
clarity, or usefulness of the information to be collected?
    (d) Is there a way to minimize the information collection burden on 
respondents, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other forms of information technology?
    (2) In addition, the PRA requires agencies to estimate the total 
annual reporting and recordkeeping ``cost'' burden to respondents or 
recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information. We need to 
know if you have costs associated with the collection of this 
information for either total capital and startup cost components or 
annual operation, maintenance, and purchase of service components. Your 
estimates should consider the costs to generate, maintain, and disclose 
or provide the information. You should describe the methods you use to 
estimate major cost factors, including system and technology 
acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, discount 
rate(s), and the period over which you incur costs. Capital and startup 
costs include, among other items, computers and software you purchase 
to prepare for collecting information; monitoring, sampling, drilling, 
and testing equipment; and record storage facilities. Generally, your 
estimates should not include equipment or services purchased: (i) 
Before October 1, 1995; (ii) to comply with requirements not associated 
with the information collection; (iii) for reasons other than to 
provide information or keep records for the Government; or (iv) as part 
of customary and usual business or private practices.
    MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, 
(202) 208-7744.

    Dated: January 6, 1999.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 99-877 Filed 1-13-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P